More pathos between Speedy and Malcolm. Malcolm may have given his life for her and the others, however the explosion that took him and Capt. Boomerang was OFF CAMERA. So aside from censorship, the door is left ajar for either to return.....

.....except for one major thing. Chase managed to plant C4 charges all over the island. Yes that's right, nearly every square inch is loaded with C4 charges and linked to a dead man switch, Chase dies and they explode.

Team Arrow gets to Chase's plane which has been sabotaged and no time or tools to repair it. Oliver tells them an Argus supply boat is at the east end of the island and they must get to it while he deals with Chase and saves William.

Also during the big fight, did anyone else imagine the Mortal Kombat theme song or Kung Fu Fighting playing in their head? Either piece of music felt appropriate to me.

Oliver saves William, Chase gives a farewell speech then blows his brains out, which triggers the dead man switch immediately and the episode ends with Oliver on Chase's boat with William as the island explodes.

Talia, Capt. Boomerang and Malcolm may have been dead before the big bang. However Malcolm and Boomerang was an off camera "death".

Did the rest of Team Arrow along with Nyssa and Slade make it off the island in time? Have to wait for Season 6 to find out.

But hey, this gives them the chance to kill off any character whose contract has expired and isn't getting renewed

Flashbacks: Oliver kills Lundgren, then quickly suits up in the fake wig, beard and hooded outfit he was wearing in episode one, then Tarzan's across the island to light the fire in time for the boat to find him.

The mystery cameo of a character in this episode was in the flashbacks as Oliver is on the fishing boat using a phone to call his mother, Moira to tell her he is alive.

Roy Harper does not appear at all.

Slade Wilson is given data by Oliver on his son, Joe. Slade states the Murkuru is out of his system and he is mentally stable again. Boomerang was apparently working with Oliver but sided with Chase due to a better offer.

Also be afraid, be very afraid......another major hint that OLICITY shall return!!!!!

So on the island at the time of the big kaboom we have:

Team Arrow
Nyssa
Slade Wilson
Lance (though I think of him as part of Team Arrow)

Who will live? Who knows? Only the writers and the contract holders shall know for sure.

So Season 5 ends in to me a slightly better end then Season 4. Season 5 started good, then dropped then perked up in time for the finale.

Also no appearance of Bruce Wayne.

Predictions for who doesn't get off the island:

1. I think I remember reading that the actor that plays Merlyn has stated he will not be in Season 6. Though the landmine explosion was off camera, he could have been killed or badly wounded and didn't escape before the island exploded, so I predict Malcolm is dead.

2. Black Siren was already planned for next season.

3. The Team Arrow member that betrayed them for Chase, I predict is dead.

4. Talia was left unconscious and hurt after the fight with Nyssa. Likely killed in the explosions.

5. Slade Wilson: I want him back as a recurring friend/enemy, the poison is no longer in him and he had some sage advice for Oliver in this episode, plus there is the fact that he killed Oliver's mother.

6. Nyssa: I want her dead because I am tired of the League of Shadows and that marriage she has to Oliver. End it already.

7. Wild Dog: not a huge fan of this quasi-Punisher and the plot about getting his kid back is wearing thin. Also if he did get custody he'd have to quit being a vigilante.

8. Mr. Terrific: he's funny and a good technician. I suspect that for other reasons he will live.

9. Diggle: too good a character to kill off.

10. Felicity: they have been teasing the return of Olicity. It would be kind of cruel to the fans to kill her off and end it.

11. Black Canary: she was just introduced this past season, seems a shame to kill her off.

Also the island should be pretty devastated and thus no need to return to it in the future and this season appears to have wrapped up the island flash backs which is a good thing.

Because the Season Five Finale flashback brought us full circle to where we began, I felt the need to watch the Season 1 Pilot last night to see how well the two dovetailed together. I noticed a few things, and first off was, “WOW all the actors look so young!” After that I took notes on how well the two episodes chronologically 5 years apart fit together.

Things in perfect sync:
1) The Pilot sees Ollie scarred in various ways (lashes, bullets, and burns) which would all eventually be explained.
2) Everyone is amazed that Ollie speaks Russian, now fully explained.
3) Ollie has the Brahtwa (sp?) tattoo on his chest right from the get go.
4) The Scene in the Finale in which Ollie lights the signal fire and is rescued by the two fishermen was reused footage from the Pilot (only we never saw him dawn a wig until the Season Finale).

Things that didn’t fit:
1) In the Pilot Ollie is tortured by Sarah’s death, but the eventual flashbacks tell us he should have known she survived the ship wreck. BTW the Pilot had a different actress play Sarah than is currently playing her on Legends of Tomorrow.
2) Ollie did not have an open wound where Dolph Lundgren had just stabbed him in the Finale flashback.

A couple of other random thoughts: I forgot that Diggle was included on the show right from the square one. Somehow I remember him coming on board 2 or 3 episodes in. Also the pace of that first episode is almost leisurely compared to what we have in Season 5.

If you have the Season 1 DVD I recommend watching the Pilot again, it makes for interesting viewing given all we know now.